The Ballad Of Romero Peacekeeper
by xXMethereaperXx
Summary: AU/ The summoning of a Gandalfr can only mean one thing. The coming of dark days. Thirty years after the last summoning, a second is called upon, in the form of a criminal. Romero stumbled into the portal, seeking refuge from the police and becomes Julia's new familiar. To atone for his murderous past, he must save the woman he's come to love. Will he be a savior, or destructor?\AU
1. Prologue

Well, this being my first story in this genre, you get my "New Story Rant."

Anyways, I am not completely familiar (no pun intended) with this series, however I am reading the manga, at least all I could find, and I am gonna watch the anime when I locate a copy of it. So, to avoid angering the canon lovers, it will be original.

The summoning of a human familiar will be the same, but with new OC's and storylines.

In other words, something interesting to read.

Without further stalling, The Ballad Of Romero Peacekeeper.

* * *

He stares out the window, his face as blank as the day before. Illuminated in the sunlight, the smoke from his cigarette swirls around him, the breeze coming in keeping it from filling the room.

He waits for a breath, taking his time to reflect on the matter at hand, an eternity of suffering approaches, passing in a blink of his eye.

A life of time and choice, brightened by the memories he has of this strange world is all he has now, the memories of his own long forgotten. For whatever reason, it was him who was chosen, chosen to be familiar to the Duchess of Dunwich, an event that had happened plenty of times, all at a great turning point in the existence of the world, leaving him to be the salvation or destruction of it's inhabitants.

No matter what they convey to each other, hidden behind a smile and the glancing of eyes, he is just a familiar, summoned to protect his master. To forgive but never forget, her wounds becoming his scars.

Try as he might to justify his existence, all it comes down to is the fact that he only serves one purpose.

To keep her peace.

She stands in the doorway, quiet like yesterday. The effect of the nightmares taking their toll, leaving her half awake from lack of sleep and worry.

For the first time in days he moves, pulling his weapons from the desk, the 'clinks' signaling he made his decision. He continues loading them, each bullet sliding into the magazine, each bullet dropping into the cylinder, another reason for him to do what he must.

Gunslinger. She remembers the word all to well. Despite her attempts to realize what he is, that is what it comes down to. The one word he said all to easily, as if describing feeling. When asked what he is, however, 'Killer' is his reply.

The battle is beyond winning, she knows that. He knows it as well.

As a familiar, he must obey the orders of a noble. Maybe if she commands him to stay…

No.

She knows it's useless. All she can do is send him with her love.

For to be invincible, he needs her love.

**[][][]**

He pushed open the door to the bar, the air hanging heavy with cigarette smoke and the lack of ventilation. Looking around, he sees his contact wave him over. He nods slightly, and adjusts the backpack on his shoulder.

As he moves to walk in a large man stops him, "Hey, you're not old enough to come in."

"It's okay, Jesse. He's with me."

The man glances to the contact.

"Come on, Jesse. I'm with him."

Jesse mumbles something and lets him pass.

He crosses the dusty floor and drops into the battered chair at the table. As he sits down, three more teenagers join them.

"You made it, Romero. Glad to see it."

He leans his backpack against the wall, careful not to damage the guitar, "I need the money."

The man nods, "Fair enough. You newcomers, he's busted his cherry doing this sort of work. You follow his orders to the T, got it?"

Everyone nods.

"Okay," he begins as he pulls the schematics to a building from a file and unfolds them on the table.

"This is the floor plan of my liquor store. The new lottery started this weekend, so there's close to fifty grand in the safe in the backroom," he says, pointing to it's location on the paper.

"The code is Left 44, Right 29, Left 32."

"Now, this is an insurance job, so you don't make a move on the place until I've left town. Which should be," he takes a glance at his watch, "In about five hours, so you hit the place about 4:30. It's a strange hour for a robbery, so you'll get the jump on'em."

The man grins, "The guy on register will just be starting his shift, so it'll look suspicious to the police. Also, he's so little, he'll probably piss himself. If you get caught, point the finger at him, saying he planned it. If you get the balls to talk and I get picked up, you'll be dead before the trial, capiche?"

Romero glances at the newbies, who all nod, doing their best to cover their nervousness.

"If you get caught and do everything correctly, I'll drop the charges and you'll get a slap on the wrist. If all goes as planned, you'll be paid handsomely. Ten thousand each, except Romero who's experience warrants more. Not too bad, eh? Alright, I gotta get ready for my flight, I leave the rest to you, Romero."

He leaves and Romero turns the map, "Okay, this is how it goes down."

He points at one of them, "Redhead, you go into the back at 4:26 and pretend to be microwaving something. Take a magazine with you, and don't look around at all. It'll seem suspicious, but if you do everything right, he'll let his guard down in a minute or two."

"You," Romero says, pointing to another, "Blondie, you go in at 4:28 and buy something. I have special glue you'll put on your fingers to keep from leaving prints on the money. Buy something from the back and get a count on the number of pedestrians. Don't react to seeing him, give a simple 'How's it going' and he'll nod. After you paid, come outside-"

He stops, another idea coming to mind, "While you're paying for whatever you get, put ten on a gas pump. We'll park the getaway car at the pump, and you'll pretend to fill it. Park it facing the building so the camera won't get the plates. After that, go put gas in the car and wait. Send a message to the number I'll give you before hand, and tell us how many people are in there."

He points at the last guy, "You'll go in with me. We'll pretend to be in the middle of a loud conversation, taking the cashier's attention. At this time, Redhead will walk up to any pedestrians and show them his gun, quietly telling them to leave and remind them to look away from the cashier."

"Then, at 4:30 exactly, we put on our masks and get the jump on him. Assuming there's anyone in there, they'll most likely call the police after we force them out, so we have an estimated five minutes before they show up."

Romero folds up the map, "From there we force the cashier into the backroom, pretend to pick the lock on the safe, and lock the front doors. After that, we escape in the car and get to the drop point. You'll all take your money, and I'll dispose of the car."

Redhead raises his hand and Romero nods.

"Uh, you said I show them my gun. I don't have one."

"I'll give each of you one before we start."

Now Blondie raises his hand, "We're not killing anyone, are we?"

Romero shakes his head, "Not in this instance. The cashier needs to be alive to tell the police the owner is out of town. Your guns will not be loaded, if we run into any trouble, surrender and let yourself be arrested. Don't say anything, even to your lawyers. Our contact will get you out of trouble if you don't say anything. They will probably hold you until he gets back in town, so don't panic."

The last guy doesn't bother raising his hand, "What about yours?"

Romero looks at him a moment before answering, "Mine will be loaded, just in case. I can't get arrested again or I'm done for, so I have to avoid capture. I won't kill anyone, to make it easier on you if you're caught."

He looks them over, seeing there are no more questions.

"Okay, it's 10:30 now. Meet me here at two, and we'll go over this again."

**[][][]**

She was too excited to sleep. To think, she'd have her own familiar tomorrow. She wasn't the most skilled at magic, so a wind dragon or golem knight was out of the question, but she felt she was skilled enough to warrant at least a C-Class familiar. Maybe a fire wolf, or possibly a swan.

She sighed and rolled over, grabbing her glasses from the night table beside her bed, deciding sleep wasn't coming for quite a while. Sliding from her bed, she crossed the room and sat at the desk, using her wand to open the secret lock on the drawer with her diary.

"Dispel."

A brief flash of light told her it was safe to open. After opening to a blank page, she stood up and waved her hand, causing her wand to hover over the paper.

She cleared her throat, "March eleventh of the twelfth year of the blue moon. 11:45 PM."

As she spoke, the wand moved over the paper, transcribing her words onto the paper.

"I can't believe how quick this time has come. Me, Julia Monterey, Duchess of Dunwich, will be receiving my very own familiar. To think, in several hours, I will have my very own partner. I am so excited, that sleep can't find me. It seems like the good news is piling up. I already moved into my new room. It should have enough space for whatever familiar I get."

She stops for a moment and sighs as she runs a hand through her red hair.

"Though excitement keeps me awake, it is not all. Worry is also affecting my sleep. Though I am skilled in all four of the elements, my skill ends at basic spells for each. I am unable to master any one element, no matter the strength or devotion I put into it.

"I can only continue to train, and hope with my new familiar by my side, I'll have the ability to further my training and return to Dunwich a skilled mage, capable of protecting her people."

There's a loud knock on the wall near her bed and a muffled female voice shouted, "Hey, shut the hell up, I'm trying to sleep!"

"Sorry Catherine!"

She looks toward her diary, "Don't write any of that."

The wand stops and draws a line through everything after the end of her sentence, causing the ink to dissolve in the paper and disappear.

She grabbed her wand and returned her diary to the drawer, remembering to apply the spell.

Returning to bed, she replaced her glasses and wand to the table and closed her eyes. But it was no use. This would still remain a sleepless night.

**[][][]**

Everything was going as planned. The text message said there wasn't any pedestrians to get in the way. When Romero and Lasty passed Blondie at the pumps, he didn't even look towards them. When they entered, Redhead was still flipping through the magazine.

These guys could make it far in this business.

At 4:30 exactly, they put on their masks and stormed the register.

Redhead locked the door and taped a pre-written note to it, reading "Back in five minutes."

"All right, you know the drill. All the money in the register and open the safe," Romero said as he pointed his gun at the cashier.

He nervously raised his hands and stepped away from the open register, "I-I don't have the code for the safe!"

Romero nodded, "In the back room. Lasty, empty the register and watch the door."

Redhead pushed him into the room where he stumbled and crashed into the desk.

"Alright, Redhead, pick the lock."

He nodded as he knelt by the safe and began to input the code.

Romero kept his gun leveled on the cashier but kept his focus between Redhead and Blondie.

It was this mistake that would almost ruin the job.

"Got it!" Redhead yelled as the door of the safe swung open.

Romero knelt to look inside, giving him enough time to draw his hidden weapon.

"Don't move!" the cashier yelled, his voice shakier than ever.

The small revolver he'd hidden was now in his hand, aiming it at Romero. He locked eyes with him and let his hand go limp so his pistol would slack and roll upside down. Redhead had frozen and stopped filling the bags.

Lasty turned and ran into the room, hearing a voice other than his comrades, "What's going-"

The sudden sight of him at the doorway caused the cashier to turn and fire. Blondie's shoulder erupted into a red mist as he stumbled backwards and fell.

Romero spun his pistol back into his grip and fired, his bullet knocking the gun from the cashier's hand.

"On the floor! You reach for it, I shoot!"

He was trembling so much that he fell backwards.

Romero nodded for Redhead to continue.

He walked to the cashier and picked up the revolver, "A .22? You coward."

He tucked the revolver into his waistband and started feeling inside his pockets where he found two boxes of bullets for it.

"Why were you carrying a .22? That's too small to carry!" Redhead yelled while opened the second bag.

Romero shook his head, "Unfortunately, a .22 is the most dangerous of the calibers. They're dead accurate and too weak to go in and out. So as Lasty knows, there's a small piece of lead bouncing around his chest right now."

"I… I di-didn't intend to shoot!" the cashier yelled, now in tears.

Romero sighed, "Neither did we. You move, I kill you."

He nodded and Romero walked to where Lasty was trying to sit up.

"Don't, lay back down."

"What was that?! It felt like a snake bite, only a thousand times worse!"

Romero ripped his jacket open and felt around the bullet hole, carefully prodding his way down.

"Ah! Stop!"

He looked where his hand was and nodded, "Okay, this is gonna hurt."

Lifting his shirt, Romero pulled a knife from his pocket and pressed the button, causing the blade to spring from the handle.

He seen the black spot under the skin near his third rib and realized after bouncing off his collarbone, it came to rest where it was. Unfortunately, it ran out of energy before it broke the skin.

Romero cut a small area of skin away and dug his finger into it to pull out the bullet.

Lasty winced and cringed, but managed to keep from screaming.

"Got it."

He rolled the little piece of lead in his hand, noticing it was missing a piece or two. Either it shattered when it made contact with the bone, or there was something wrong with the pistol that took it off as it fired.

"How's it coming, Redhead?"

"All done."

Romero helped Lasty to his feet, instructing him to be careful how he moves, before running to help Redhead with the bags. As they were leaving, the cashier was slowly rocking back and forth. He didn't even think he'd call the police right away, giving them more time to get rid of the car.

As they ran outside, Blondie was halfway to the door, "I heard gunshots. Christ, what happened?!"

Romero helped Lasty into the car, "Change of plans. We're going to the Butcher."

**[][][]**

'Okay, just calm down. Nothing to be nervous about…'

That was the seventh time she told herself that, and it was the seventh time it failed. Many before her had gotten a great familiar, and only a few had low, G-Class familiars. She was sure she wouldn't do that poorly.

"Poor little Julia. Already accepting that her familiar won't be worth the energy to summon it."

She scowled, "Shut it, Morgan. I'm going last by choice."

"Not your choice," she laughed back, satisfied by the effect her words had on her.

"Nicely done, Roger," said Ms. Francesca.

Roger remained silent, as usual, and walked of the spell ground, his new, oversized mantis familiar following him.

The girls of their class sighed and nearly fainted as he passed, the sun glinting off his silver hair.

"Alright, Morgan. You're up!"

"Allow me to show you the proper way to summon a familiar," she said as she passed Julia, flipping her blonde hair on her way to the spell area.

Julia growled and grabbed her wand, "Become a toad!"

Before she swung her wand, he arm was grabbed and pulled back to her side.

"Calm down, don't let her get to you."

Julia sighed, "Thank you Catherine. Where would I be without you?"

Catherine smiled, her Phoenix resting on her shoulder, "Half dead, bleeding in a ditch somewhere."

The flash of light told them that Morgan had already summoned her familiar. A black tiger with yellow stripes roared loudly.

"Very well done! As to be expected from the daughter of Madame Clemencia!"

She sighed as she passed the area where Julia was standing, "You shouldn't worry, my summoning was only the fastest yet."

Signaling the bond between it's master, the tiger growled as it passed Julia.

"Alright, last but not least, Julia! Please come to the circle!"

She sighed and started, walking slowly but confidentally into the circle. She readied her wand.

"My name is Julia Alexis Monterey. Pentagon of the five elemental powers, heed my summoning and bring forth my familiar!"

She stabbed her wand into the air and the air grew heavy as the ground began to rumble. Everyone watching either fell to the ground, or had the insight to crouch down.

"What's going on?!"

"It's an earthquake!"

A light flashed from the tip of her wand, causing everyone to shield their eyes. The light soon vanished along with the quakes, a burst of pressure taking it's place. She remained standing in the circle, an red and black aura of electricity encircling her and striking the ground around her.

Suddenly, the portal of a familiar opened and her familiar dropped into the center, standing with his weapons still in his hands.

**[][][]**

He had salvaged the plan as well as he could, but it wasn't enough.

After dropping the group off at the Butcher and paying them for their work, he took the car to the crusher and pocketed the five hundred he was paid for it.

With his bug-out bag on his shoulder, he walked through the city, hoping to make it home before the police found him. Unfortunately, they did.

They chased him on foot as he escaped into the shopping center, hoping to blend into the large group of shoppers.

He stopped in the center and weighed his options. There were at least twelve officers moving to circle him in the center. If he was to escape, he had to act fast.

He sighed and grabbed the twenty thousand dollars from his bag and climbed onto a nearby kiosk, ignoring the yells from it's owner.

"There he is, get him!" yelled an officer as they began their approach.

Romero tore the bands from the money and held them over his head, "People of the Two Peaks Mall! Let there be rain!"

He threw the money into the air and watched as it slowly drifted into the large crowd. Almost instantly, the people went crazy. They began tackling each other as they grabbed at the money that fell from the sky.

Once someone had a large amount, they were attacked, causing the uproar to grow larger. The situation was so hectic that the police couldn't reach him.

He used it as an means for escape and left, ducking through the horde of people as he ran for the exit.

Now on the street, he walked slowly, avoiding any attention he might attract. Several blocks from the mall, a police car trailed by a riot van sped toward the mall.

He continued walking. Another police car screamed around the corner ahead of him and started toward the mall. However, it slammed on it's brakes and sped toward Romero, it's lights and siren signaling that it spotted him.

Romero knew he couldn't outrun them with the weight of his backpack, guitar and bullet-proof vest, but it was his only option, other than firing at them.

He ducked into an alley and found it a dead end. The sirens were getting closer and his odds were dropping fast. He always had a way out, and it seemed like that was all that was left.

Juvenile Hall wasn't an option any more. Now that he's eighteen, he'd go to prison, and he wouldn't survive a week in there.

He pulled the gun from his waist and chambered a round. He grabbed the second from the back of his belt and kicked the cylinder open. He flicked it closed and sighed as he began to raise them.

A bright light stopped him, his weapons only inches from his head. In front of him appears a weird pentagon with some form of strange writing around it. It rotates slowly on it's vertical axis and after a moment, a doorway opens.

He glances back, the sirens only a few yards away.

The choice is easy.

**[][][]**

The smoke settles and he's left standing in the center of a similarly shaped pentagon, surrounded by people roughly his age.

"Oh dear," says Ms. Francesca, already knowing what's happening.

Whispering and murmuring spreads throughout the group.

"Julia summoned a human?"

"What kind of familiar is that?"

"He sure is cute."

"What's going on?" Romero asks, stepping backwards.

"Catherine, hurry and get Old Osmond. Julia,"

Julia's eyes were locked onto the figure before her, unable to do anything else.

"Julia! Finish the ritual!"

She blushes and nods, "Oh, right."

She approaches him and touches her wand to his forehead.

"Hey, what're you doing?"

"Pentagon of the five elemental powers, grant your blessings upon this creature, and bind it as my familiar!"

Julia has to stand on her toes to finish the ritual, pressing her lips against his. Romero blinks, unsure what is happening, but in no hurry to stop it.

Another moment and she steps back, "There, finished."

"Is everyone here this ni-" he began to say but was frozen by a sharp tinge of pain.

He dropped his weapons, the heavy handguns clinking against the stone of the circle. He raises the hand he feels the pain in and watches as four shapes begin to appear, each glowing a different color. Green, blue, white and red. He raises his other hand, the same runes appearing. The pain was so great that he began to grow woozy, the runes appearing on his legs barely recognized by him.

Julia steps back, unsure of what to do.

Romero begins to sway, barely able to keep his balance as he says weakly, "I… Don't understand…"

Finally reaching his limit, he collapse forward, the weight of his backpack keeping him from attempting to stand.

* * *

Well, there it is. Not a bad start, eh?

I think I failed in what I was going for in the intro, but it's a reference to the song that the name is inspired from.

Anyway, I hope you like it, I'll try to get the next chapter finished soon, but I've already scrambled my order for updates, so I have to get caught up on that.

Thanks for reading!


	2. (1) Welcome to Tristain

Well, I just finished work on a car and I don't have the energy to start a new chapter, so I'm gonna move onto this story which the chapter is already half done. Hands are oily, but my keyboard is going out anyway.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Tristain**

_I was a highwayman. Along the coach roads I did ride  
With sword and pistol by my side  
Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade  
Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade  
The bastards hung me in the spring of twenty-five  
But I am still alive._

-Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings

**[][][]**

Julia yawned and stretched herself awake. She spent a moment looking up at the ceiling over her bed before deciding it was time to wake up. After cleaning her glasses and getting dressed, she was ready to start the day.

Mumbling from the corner of her otherwise quiet room startled her, almost to the point of yelling.

Her familiar was still on the cot where the healers left him, promising that he'd wake up in a day or so.

That, however, was nearly a week ago. Other than his mumbling and shivering, he looked as if he was dead. She was told that she should be honored to have summoned him, there was only one other recorded instance by a noble that wielded similar results.

'A person not from this world,' she thought to herself.

She spent a moment looking him over.

His long hair was cut and enchanted to not grow anymore. Before, he looked unruly, an ill-fitting appearance in that of a noble's familiar.

His eyes were strained closed and his mouth hung open slightly.

That's when she remembered what Old Osmand had said.

"_That symbol on his neck. Find something to cover it with before any of the teachers notice it."_

She hadn't seen it personally, but she was told it's important to keep it out of sight. Why it was there she didn't know, but then again she knew nothing about her familiar.

The bag he was found with sat beside him, the metal objects he was holding were placed inside it after the ritual.

She knelt down and as carefully as possible, and removed one. The object was heavy, so much that she could barely hold it without struggling.

One end of it was long and solid, except for a hole that was drilled in the bottom half. Closer to the other end was a cylinder with holes drilled through it. There was a switch behind the cylinder and a moveable lever on the back of it.

Curiosity overpowering caution, she flipped the switch. The object split in two and several smaller objects sprung from the opening and clattered onto the ground.

"Uh oh," she said as she began to return them to the place they came from. She held onto one, however, to see if Colbert knew what they were.

'That's right! I'm gonna be late for Colbert's class!'

She returned the object and sped from the room, slamming the door as she did so.

Romero's eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly, surveying his surroundings.

"Where the hell am I?"

His whole body ached, and even breathing proved difficult. He unbuttoned his black dress shirt and lifted his white t-shirt to look at his body armor.

"Thank god," he said, running his hand over the material and knocking on the trauma plate.

He tried to stand, taking several attempts to do so, and stretched his legs, "It feels like I was asleep forever. Last I remember I was running from the police, then-"

He remembered instantly. He walked through the door that opened out of nowhere and found himself surrounded by people holding sticks.

"Well, at least I still have most of my bug-out bag," he said aloud as he noticed his revolver sticking out of it. The only thing that appeared to be missing was his guitar.

The door burst open and Julia ran back inside, "I can't believe I forgot my wand!"

His reflexes taking control, he crouched as he spun and grabbed the revolver, leveling it at Julia.

"Oh, you're awake."

"Don't move."

She blinked, "Why not? This is my room after all."

"Why am I in your room?"

Julia walked past him and grabbed her wand from the night table, "Because you're my familiar."

Romero looked at his revolver, confused at her lack of fear, "What're you talking about?"

"My familiar," she began, "As a second year student of the Tristain Academy, we are allowed to summon a familiar. Usually it's an animal or other form of creature, but instead you came through."

"So, this isn't America?"

"Never heard of it."

Romero dropped the revolver and fell to the floor where he covered his face and began to roll back and forth.

"This can't be happening! I had it made! A nice apartment, moderately attractive seven out of ten psycopathic stalker, and an awesome car! This has to be a dream!"

"You sure are strange."

He stopped suddenly and felt his head, "Wait, what happened to my hair!"

She laughed nervously, "Well, about that. It was the mutual agreement that it be cut to make you appear less… uncivilized."

"It's not mutual if i don't agree," he said, running his hands through his now short hair, "Well, I guess it'll grow back in time."

"Maybe…"

He sat up, "So, what does a familiar do?"

"A familiar protects it's master and does anything they say."

'I don't like the sound of that,' he thought.

"Colbert has taken over teaching the class on familiars, so you could-"

Romero stood up, "What?"

"We're late for class!"

Julia grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door so fast that he barely had enough time to grab his bag.

"Can't you slow down?! We'll definitely be late if you get us killed!"

She glanced back, "No time! If we get caught-"

Farther down the hallway, a voice caught her attention, "Ah, Miss Monterey! Just the person I was looking for! I see your familiar is awake."

Julia slid to a stop, causing Romero to slide past her and fall.

"Oh, Osmand! I apologize, but I'm late for Colbert's class."

He smiled, "No need to worry, I already informed him you would be late today. I'm glad I ran into you, may I borrow your familiar for awhile?"

She looked back to where he was sitting on the floor, "Borrow?"

"Yes, I have a few things I'd like to discuss with him, and I'm sure he has plenty of questions about our world."

It took her a moment, but at length she agreed, "Okay, but take it easy on him. He just woke up."

Osmand nodded, "Of course, we're just going to have a little chat. That's all. Now, you may want to get to class before you miss all of Colbert's lecture."

"That's right!" she yelled as she started her sprint, "You better behave yourself!"

Romero picked his bag up and slung it over his shoulder, "She's an enthusiastic one, isn't she?"

"Yes, a lot of energy, that one. Now, if you'll follow me, we'll get started."

Romero followed him, weary of his intentions, but sure that he could get the jump on him, if necessary. When he had fallen, he took the moment to slip the .22 revolver into his pocket. So, as they walked, he kept his finger on the trigger.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Talk," he replied, looking around the hall before stopping, his attitude changing abruptly, "First off, tell me about that mark on your neck."

He reached up and touched the area, feeling the bandage for the first time, "What do you mean?"

Osmand looked him over for a moment, "That symbol. What is the meaning of it in your world? Tell me no lies."

Romero chuckled and shook his head, "It's a sign of the crew I belong to."

"Crew?"

"Crew, my people."

Osmand still didn't understand what he meant, "That's the symbol of your race of people?"

Romero shook his head, "No, that was probably a bad way to explain it. It's more of a gang."

"As in bandits?"

"Well, some would call us that," he answered, hoping this wasn't the topic of the entire conversation.

Osmand nodded and continued walking, "I was afraid of that."

Romero followed, too worried to break the silence.

"What you were in your old world has nothing to do with this one," Osmand returned, back to his former cheerful state, "I suggest you keep that mark hidden, there is a similar group in our world using that same exact symbol."

They reached a door at the end of the corridor, which he opened, "But we'll discuss that later, I'd hate to ruin our conversation before it started."

Romero stepped into the sunlight, in complete awe by the sight. The academy was built around it's central tower, connected by inner walls to the outer ring consisting of five towers of differently colored tops. As impressive as the building was, the grounds were more so.

The courtyards were designed with a purpose. Far across from where he was standing was a square, dirt field with different training setups.

"If you'll follow me," Osmand said, starting down the path.

"So," Romero asked once he caught up, "I answered your question, would you mind answering one of mine?"

Osmand laughed, "Of course! I'll answer to the best of my ability."

"First off, why am I here?"

He sighed, "That's a good question."

"So you don't know?"

"I know why you are here, but then again, I do not."

Romero sighed, "I have a splitting headache, would you mind keeping it simple?"

Osmand chuckled, "You are here because you were summoned as Julia's familiar."

"Oh, so that's her name."

"Julia Alexis Monterey. Duchess of Dunwich under her father, Sir Robert, Archduke of Dunwich."

"Wait a minute," Romero asked, confusion causing him to stop walking, "Are you saying she's royalty?"

Osmand nodded, turning to face him, "That's correct. Her mother perished during the war to reclaim Dunwich from the bandits that bear the same symbol you do."

He touched the bandage again.

"Her father was given the throne, and with his only son disappearing before the battle, he named his oldest daughter the Duchess. She will inherit the throne upon her father's death. Actually, all students at this academy are nobles. You'd do well to mind your manners here."

"Okay, why was I summoned? What was the reason behind it?"

"Yes, that really is a shame," Osmand said with a sigh.

"It's not like I wanted to come here."

Osmand waved his hand, "No, no, I didn't mean it like that. It's great you were chosen. It's a shame that you're here, because the last time a Gandalfr was summoned, the country went to war. I'm afraid that a Gandalfr being summoned is a sign of trouble to come."

"So, this happened before?"

"Yes. A human was summoned by the name, Hiraga Saito. He had almost single handedly saved the country by piloting the Dragon's Raiment. I'm sure he'd like to meet another Gandalfr, but he is currently gathering all available items from your world. Most of them are stored here at the academy."

They continued walking, soon reaching the dirt square, "So, there's items from my world here?"

"Yes, the Dragon's Raiment is as what he called an aeroplane."

"How did they get here?"

Osmand shrugged, "That is also a good question. However, let's move on to the reason we're here."

There were wooden scarecrows set along the back wall, though battered from countless training exercises, they were still intact.

"The previous Gandalfr had the ability to become proficient in any weapon he held," Osmand began as he tossed Romero a sword from the nearby rack, "Let's see what you can do."

**[][][]**

Colbert had left the class literally seconds after he was given the small object, instructing them to become acquainted with their familiar.

Unfortunately, this left Julia with nothing to do.

Well, nothing to do but watch everyone else and their familiars.

"And this morning, Fero was sitting on the windowsill, singing as the sun rose. It was the cutest thing ever!" Catherine yelled, stroking the feathers along the phoenix's back.

Julia nodded, pretending to be interested in her text book, "That's great."

"I know! And then-" Catherine began, changing the topic when she sensed a shift in her mood, "So, how's that familiar of yours?"

"I don't know. He finally woke up this morning, but Old Osmand kidnapped him for something," Julia answered, closing the text book and sighing as she leaned back.

"Well, at least he woke up."

"That's true. By the way, did you get your dress already?"

Catherine laughed, "Are you kidding? I picked it out months ago! Don't tell me you waited this long to get one."

Julia shook her head, "No, of course not. There was a problem with mine, though, and I have to go into town and have it resized."

"Well, you better make sure it's finished soon, there isn't much longer until the Ball Of Frigg. It'd be a shame if it wasn't ready in time."

Roger's mantis sat beside his desk, it's slightest movement spreading those nearby away from it's size. He was reading his textbook, ignoring the speech of how Morgan's familiar is more talented than Julia's. Pretended to not notice the object floating above her, he turned the page he'd finished.

"In fact, my Pierre didn't take a week to wake up after he was summoned," she continued, oblivious to what happened next.

A bucket of water spilt above her, causing it's contents to crash down onto her. Luckily, it was only swamp water this time.

Her cloak took the brunt of the hit, but the rest of her clothes were just as soaked. Roger gave a small smile, enough to show the pleasure he got from it, but not so much that it would attract attention.

In between the scattered laughter in the room, Julia sighed, "Be careful Morgan, we wouldn't want you to melt like a hag-spirit."

She spun around, her wand already drawn, "So this is your doing, Monterey?! Well fine then, let's settle this!"

"I hate to break it to you," Julia replied, still sitting in her chair, "I didn't have anything to do with it, I'm sorry to say."

"Draw your wand!"

"She didn't Morgan," Catherine began, Fero spreading his wings in preparation of battle, "She was talking to me the whole time. She's skilled, but not that skilled."

"I don't care. In the name of the Montressor name, I challenge you!"

The rest of the students in the room began to whisper and Julia knew she didn't have much of a choice.

"Alright, you could use a lesson in humility. I, Julia Alexis Monterey, accept your challenge."

**[][][]**

"Hmm," Osmand began, disappointed at Romero's display, "You have some skill, more so than many apprentice bladesmen, but not so much that a Gandalfr should possess."

Romero sighed and rotated his arm to ease the tension in his shoulder, "A friend of mine's heritage was traced back to that of the Tornaga Shogunate. She taught me how to use a sword, not of this kind though, and I was never that great at it."

"How do they do battle in your world?"

Romero set his bag on the table and hesitated a moment, "Before I show you this, I want your word that you will not take it from me."

At length he agreed, "I will not take anything from your possession."

Romero nodded and rummages through the bag, mentally taking note of it's contents.

'Several boxes of fifty count, forty-five caliber bullets. Several boxes of fifty count, nine-by-nineteen caliber bullets. Cell phone and solar powered charger. Not that they'd be of any use, but at least I can listen to music.'

Satisfied everything was there, he set the handguns behind him on the table along with the kit to clean them.

Osmand was immediately drawn to them, remarking on their construction, "What are these?"

"Pistols. This one is a semi-auto and these two are revolvers."

"These are different from oursl. How do they work?"

Romero grinned and picked up the revolver. He swung it downward as he flipped the switch for the ejector, causing the bullets to leave the cylinder.

"Must have fired one," he mumbled as he quickly replaced them into the cylinder.

Without aiming, he snapped the barrel closed and fired twice, both shots traveling trough the same hole in the scarecrow's head.

In a flurry of hay, the scarecrow wobbled and eventually fell over, leaving the bullets imprinted in the bricks of the wall.

Osmand nodded, "An army of soldiers carrying these weapons could take control of the whole continent!"

"Well, you'd need training to effectively use them," Romero answered, as he dropped the spent cartridges into his bag and filled the cylinder, "My father was in the military and he taught me how to shoot."

The field was suddenly surrounded by students, all coming to see the source of the noise. One thing he noticed was the fact that the group consisted of three different cloak colors.

"It would seem you've attracted some attention."

Romero nodded, "I have a knack for that."

"Osmand, we need the training field," Morgan said as she pushed her way through the group, Julia and Catherine appearing shortly after her.

"Hmm, for what purpose?"

Morgan pointed toward Julia, her tiger never leaving it's attack stance, "I demand a chance to regain my honor in combat!"

The crowd began to cheer and talk.

"Two second year students are gonna fight?"

"This could be interesting!"

"Who's gonna win?!"

"Isn't it against the rules for two students to fight?"

Osmand nodded, "That's true, two students are forbidden to fight one another while enrolled here. However, there is nothing against the sparring of a familiar and a student."

Morgan laughed, "There's no way she would stand a chance against Pierre, and I'm afraid he doesn't know when to quit."

Romero snapped the cylinder closed and tucked it into the belt on his pants, "I see where this is going. I'll fight in my master's place."

The number of eyes that snapped to him was unnerving, but he held his composure.

"Is that okay with you, Ms. Montressor?"

She sighed, "Well, if I can't pummel her into the ground, her familiar will have to do."

"Wait," Julia began, sensing this could turn out bad, "It isn't exactly fair, I mean, he just woke up. He's probably still weak."

"Of course it's not to the death," Osmand said, glancing toward Romero, "When a combatant forfeits, the fight is over. Understood?"

Morgan nodded, "If you say so."

Romero picked up the rusty blade, "Understood."

* * *

Sorry, it's been a long time between the last update and it's running on long, so I'll finish the fight in the next chapter where we'll get to see the powers Romero possess.

Thanks for reading, hope you're enjoying it so far.


	3. (2) Dance With The Devil

Alright, back again, let's get going.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Dance With The Devil**

"_Trembling, crawling across my skin.  
Feeling your cold dead eyes, stealing the life of mine._

_I believe in you, I can show you that_

_I can see right through all your empty lies.  
__I won't last long, in this world so wrong._

_Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight.  
Don't you dare look at him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight."_

- Breaking Benjamin

**[][][]**

The cell was dark, even at this time of day. The sun coming through the narrow slots in the stone wall did nothing to improve they dismal and hopeless mood he was certain the designers purposely imbued into the building.

It was the ninth day in this cell and the fifth day since the trial, which he wasn't included in, that ultimately decided his demise. He was sure it didn't take long to convince them his death was warranted.

So, he was scheduled to be moved in twelve days to the place of his execution, meaning he would be moved in seven days to prevent an ambush by the members of the Reapers.

Not that there were enough left to plan an ambush, mind you, but they were crafty.

So, he waited. Nothing else he could do. However, the longer he waited in their cage, he could feel himself getting weaker.

He'd need enough blood to drown a village after this.

**[][][]**

After checking the rounds in the magazine, he returned it to the pistol, ignoring the curious glances of the people waiting to watch the fight.

Pulling the slide back, he chambered a round and tucked it behind his back. With the revolver, he thumbed the latch for the original loading mechanism and spun the cylinder, making sure all the primer caps were fine. This one, he tucked into the front of his belt.

He didn't bother checking the .22, but picked up the rusty blade as he walked through the crowd.

"One moment," Osmand said, reaching out to stop him.

He glanced toward Morgan who was already in her place at the field, "I think it would be wise for you to use discretion with those weapons of yours. Last thing we need is an accident."

Romero nodded, "I hadn't planned killing her. I mean it's not a fight to the death or anything."

Osmand hesitated before he walked away, "No, of course it isn't."

'That was very convincing.'

Julia stood on his end of the field with her arms crossed, weighing the chances he'd survive.

Romero started onto the dirt, stopping in front of her, "Alright, master. Tell me what I'm up against."

She looked to where Morgan was waiting, her gaze effectively passing on the hatred she felt.

"Morgan Montressor, as much as I hate to admit it, is a skilled magician, and unlike most others of nobility, is as good with her hands as she is her wand."

He nodded, "Talented, got it."

"Also," she continued, "Her family ancestry are remnants of the Witch-Blood clan, so you can expect some form of Necromancy."

"Zombies, got it."

"Pay attention, this is nothing to joke about."

"Come on," he said, "It's just a fight, the old guy'll be watching."

"Osmand isn't gonna turn away a chance to see a Gandalfr fight at it's fullest," she replied, pointing to where he was taking money from some of the students.

"Is he taking bets?"

She nodded, "Are you completely sure you want to do this?"

Romero shrugged, adjusting to the weight of the blade, "Are you gonna command me to back out?"

Julia sighed, "Of course not."

He nodded and walked onto the field, "Good, I'm not the greatest with orders."

**[][][]**

He strained against the bars, only inches away from reaching his blade.

The guard was passed out in his chair, his snoring blocking the sound of his failed attempts.

"Damn it," he said, giving up on this escape.

Pacing his cell, he contemplated what else he could attempt. He could survive on his own blood for the next three days, but it would take a lot of concentration to keep from bleeding himself dry. The past days without filled his chest with hunger.

Were he not so weak, escape would be simple.

**[][][]**

For the third time, Romero felt himself lift from the ground and slam into the brick wall.

He struggled to his feet and ran to keep from being thrown again.

Morgan saw his plan and with a wave of her wand stopped him in his tracks. The pillars rose from the ground at random angles, narrowly missing their target.

He was unable to dodge it and instead collided into the rock formation.

"What next? Fire? A flood maybe?" she laughed, arrogant by her position, "How about this?"

Romero forced himself around the pillar, watching his enemy.

She knelt on one knee and stabbed her wand into the ground, causing the pillars to crumble.

He avoided as much of the debris as he could, being sure to keep an eye on her.

Amid the rumble, hands began sprouting from the ground, the decrepit bodies they belonged to following shortly after.

"She's using Necromancy!" several of the first years yelled, stepping back to avoid becoming a target.

Julia's hands were gripped into fists, fearing that her familiar might actually die. She could tell by looking that he was caught off guard. His arm was limp, futilely waving the blade in front of him to keep the Morte from overtaking him.

If he really was a Gandalfr, he wasn't showing it.

Realizing he couldn't keep running, he turned and readied himself as the dead approached him.

Once in striking distance, he swung downward, the blade tearing through the rotting flesh and embedding itself in it's skull.

He grabbed the hilt with both hands and pulled it back and forth, but the blade wouldn't budge. While he tried to free his weapon, the creature snarled and tore at his clothing, leaving a large gash across his chest.

"To hell with this," he said, giving up on his decision to use only the blade.

He reached for the pistol in his back and pressed it against it's skull and pulled the trigger, causing it to turn to dust.

Stumbling sideways from lack of energy, he stabbed the blade into the ground and fell to one knee.

He blinked and looked down, knowing he felt it.

As he stabbed the blade into the ground, he felt it grow hotter.

Morgan let a small amount of her surprise show, not worrying since there were still zombies approaching him.

With the three standing guard around her, she knew she'd won.

His shooting hand was wobbling, causing him to miss his targets.

"I need to rest a minute."

"Tired already? Well, I'm still full of Willpower!"

Morgan aimed her wand at him, making sure she wouldn't miss. Though full of energy, this shot would take a lot of it.

"Learn your place!"

He felt the air shift. That's how he knew what was coming.

He could taste the salt of the water before it appeared, and felt the warmth of the fire. That's when he knew something was happening. His senses were increasing, becoming more sharpened and he could feel his strength slowly return.

However, it wasn't coming back in time.

The torrent of water pervaded the spiraling wall of flame that surrounded it as they rumbled toward him, their movements leaving him no where to run.

His heartbeat intensified, believing this was his final moment.

The chatter of the crowd amplified, the praise of her superior skills echoing in his head.

Moments before striking, they halted, crashing against a barrier that appeared an instant before impact.

Morgan held it as long as she could, but inevitably ceased the barrage.

Julia fell to her knees at the edge of the field, short of breath from the sudden loss of willpower.

Morgan growled, "Stay out of this!"

"Make it count," Julia yelled to him, "That's all you'll get."

Romero nodded and stood, "That's all I'll need."

That moment of rest was enough regain his spent energy. Pulling the blade from the ground, he picked up the pistol and cracked his neck.

'I don't know how I know this, but I can defeat her.'

His mind echoed with the instructions, several voices fighting each other for control when all at once they said in unison, "Fight."

He sprinted forward, his speed rapidly growing faster, and faster until it was near superhuman level.

Charging the zombies that had been enraptured by their summoner's last attack, he swung the blade as he passed, no longer fearing it getting stuck.

Her wand followed him, fighting to stay focused enough to immobilize him.

Now she was getting scared.

She felt too much relief when she managed to grab him and pull him into the air.

As he raised into the air, he fumbled for his blade, unable to grab it.

"I'll have to keep you up there until I figure out what to do with you."

He struggled against the lack of gravity, deciding which voice to listen to.

Flailing his arms, he built enough momentum to begin spinning, rapidly growing faster to the point that he began to pull her towards him.

Morgan leaned backwards, her feet sliding on the ground as she continued to be pulled forward, losing the strength to hold steady.

When she was close enough, he stopped and aimed away from her, the revolver in his hand. His vision tumbled, but he used the form of the building to aim and fired once.

The force of the high caliber shot mixed with her no gravity hold, sent him backwards.

Roger, who had been calmly spectating the fight he caused began to laugh, starting with a chuckle and slowly progressing into an outburst.

He knew the battle was nearing it's end and his plan had worked flawlessly.

Romero fired again, continuing to do so until his velocity was doubling by he second.

Morgan didn't know what to do. Her anger had caused her visualize her victory but now she was confused, struggling to decide her next move.

If she held the spell and kept him in low gravity, they would collide. If she let him go, he would-

It was too late. He slammed into her hard enough to send her tumbling backwards.

He had planned the attack, so he was on guard enough to land on his feet.

Morgan sat up several feet away, rubbing the aching part of her head.

That's when she seen her wand in front of him.

He followed her gaze and quickly grabbed it, aiming it against it's owner.

She chuckled, "You think you can use my own wand against me?"

He looked at the foreign object in his hand. He didn't know how to use it, but the voices did.

The remaining zombies she had summoned now looked between Morgan and Romero, unsure of who their master was.

"Why don't you just drop it? It's of no use to you."

He looked to where his runes were glowing, and listened to the voice, "Sandstorm."

The rust colored dirt of their battle ground shifted as a swirling tempest of sand rose up, circling the unarmed Morgan.

Colbert forced his way through the crowd, stopping beside Julia.

"Miss Monterey, what else can you tell me of this strange object?!" he asked, raising the bullet she'd given him.

Her face never left the battleground, the astonishment prevalent.

Colbert looked to where the fight was raging and his face adopted the astonishment she showed.

"Fire."

The sandstorm became engulfed in flames, raging for several moments before disappearing, leaving her encased in glass.

Cheers and yells were taken up by the crowd as the celebration began.

"Let me out of here! This is not over!" Morgan yelled, pounding on the glass.

She looked up. It was too tall to jump out of and too slick to climb. She was trapped.

Her senses picked up the movement before the sound.

The zombies were also trapped with her, and they'd made their choice and turned against their master.

"Help! Get me out of here!"

Romero blinked himself back into control and seen what was happening. He raised the wand and tried to blast away the glass but nothing happened.

Thinking quickly, he raised the revolver and pulled the trigger.

_Click, click, click._

"Uh-oh."

"Without her wand, she's gonna be torn apart!"

"How're they gonna get her out?!"

Romero quickly snapped the cylinder open, ejecting the empty rounds into the air while checking his pockets for more.

Running out of options, he pulled out the pistol. Firing twice only proved to leave small indentations in the glass.

"Hurry up, idiot!" Morgan yelled, "I can't run in circles forever!"

Colbert realized the function of the object and called out, "Gandalfr!"

Romero looked backwards and seen him toss the bullet to him and everything seemed to slow down. He slammed the new bullet into the cylinder as Morgan tripped and fell into the glass hard enough to blur her vision.

He fired the revolver, it's bullet strong enough to weaken the glass substantially, sending a large crack toward the ground.

Sprinting forward, he fired the remained shots from the semi-automatic, their bullets more effective, causing the cracks to spider web outward.

He tossed the empty weapon aside and continued. Lowering his head and turning away, he broke through the wall, causing the rest of the enclosure to break into small pieces.

Morgan had returned to her feet and braced herself, expecting the next thing he felt to be claws tearing her shin apart.

Instead, Romero pulled her close to him, using his embrace to shelter her from the falling glass. She looked up to see him, wincing as several shard found their way into his back. Turning her head enough to stay covered but see behind her showed the zombies were having less luck than before.

The glass had taken care of them, the glass long enough to pierce the skull, returning them to the dirt they were summoned from.

The clinking of glass ceased and they were left standing in the center.

"Uh, you can let go now."

Romero chuckled weakly, "I think I'll fall over if I do."

Even so, he tried. Following the swaying he felt instead of fighting it. He turned and started back to pick up his weapons.

"So," Osmand called out, "Who is the victor."

Everyone knew the answer, but waited to see if there was any dispute.

Morgan looked from the sharp needles of glass around her, to the blood trail leading to where Romero was struggled to lean over and pick up his pistol, ultimately letting Julia hand it to him.

At length she sighed, knowing she owed him her life, "I submit."

Osmand nodded, "Then we have our victor! Romero the familiar!"

Amid the cheering, Pierre picked up the wand with his teeth and walked to where his master stood, watching their rivals celebrate.

"No, I'm fine," knowing what he was thinking, letting a small smile crawl onto her face, "Thanks to him."

**[][][]**

"Hey, wake up."

The guard yawned himself awake, "Yeah?"

"I'm your relief."

He nodded, "Alright."

As he rose from the chair, he stretched, his armor clanking as he did so.

"Miss anything?"

The new guard took his chair and nodded, "Fight over at the academy. They say the new Gandalfr fought a student over at the academy."

The prisoner's eyes snapped open and looked in their direction.

"Bullshit," the guard replied while rubbing his eyes, "It's just rumors."

The new guard shook his head, "I seen the flames myself. They were so tall I seen them out front. There's no way a normal student could conjure something like that."

The prisoner burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the small room.

"Hey, shut up in there!"

He quieted down, only to return.

"So, there's a new Gandalfr, eh?"

"That's right, you've been in there awhile."

The new guard nodded, "Pretty soon there won't be a trace left of you terrorists."

"We shall see," was all he said, "We shall see."

* * *

Well, that was longer than I'd planned. Once I started it just kept going.

Anyway, that's it for this one. Showed a lot of the original aspects I plan to bring to this story.

Alright, thanks for reading. If you noticed something punctuation wise that I missed, let me know and I'll fix it. In return, you'll get one of my famous theoretical cookies.

You stay classy, San Diego.


End file.
